The region’s top security chiefs last week wrapped up a two-day meeting in Bermuda where they discussed, among other things, issues relating to surveillance of illegal firearms. 

According to a communiqué issued by the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) the objective of the meeting was to review action plans discussed at the Ninth Joint Meeting of the CARICOM Standing Committees of Commissioners of Police and Military Chiefs held in St. Kitts in April and to make recommendations to put forward to the Sixth Meeting of the Council of Ministers Responsible for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) scheduled for later this month also in St. Kitts.

Key items on the agenda for discussion included: Justice Protection Programmes and issues relating to the capacities and methods utilized in the detection and surveillance of illegal firearms; CARICOM’s proposed Regional Integrated Ballistic Information Network (RIBIN); capacity building in the area of intelligence operations; homicide investigations; forensic sciences and regional maritime cooperation.

The Commissioners of Police and Military Chiefs after discussing the topics made several recommendations to be presented to the ministers responsible for national security and law enforcement, IMPACS said in its statement.

In attendance were Commissioners of Police and Military Chiefs from Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Grenada, Guyana, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago; as well as representatives from the Associated States of host country Bermuda, British Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Delegates also included Directors and other Senior Officers of the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), the Joint Regional Communications Centre (JRCC) and the Regional Intelligence Fusion Centre (RIFC). Also in attendance were guest speakers in the area of Justice Protection and Customs.